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Before you get lost in the tables; a couple of noteworthy points; Note that the current population estimates are within and in fact, mostly exceed the plan objectives. That’s great, we’re sure not short of elk around here! Also, in many units, elk numbers exceed hunter numbers. I don’t think anyone will find fault with that situation, either! I’ll offer some more personal conclusions drawn from the numbers later, but first; the figures….
Remember, these are estimates, but the population figures are from aerial surveys, and all are the most recent figures currently available (up-to-date as of 12/22/01).  Also, you might ask "What about the rest of the state?".  I'll include some data about other areas of the state later, but for the most part if you compare the management units listed (most of which consist of several hunting districts) with the areas listed as the best elk hunting areas in our Elk Hunting Review article, you'll see these are about the best areas in the state to kill a bull on public land, with no special permits required (except, of course, the Elkhorns).

• Gravelly- Lots of elk, lots of hunters, lots of elk killed.  Percentage of six-point bulls harvested isn't that great, but I'm somewhat surprised it's as high as it is.  See our article on the Gravelly-Snowcrest herd.   According to fourteen years of research, trophy-class, seven plus year old bulls account for less than 1% of the population, so if 22% of the bulls harvested are indeed six-points, I'd say a lot of them are in the 250-280 class, largely four and a half year-olds..  First-week harvest is high, exceeded only by the Tendoys, which corroborates the data in the aforementioned article.  Biologists use the first-week harvest rates as a measure of the degree of security in the area, although it can indicate a couple of different things.  In the Tendoys, for instance, first-week success accounts for a high percentage because the elk tend to move onto private land generally inaccessible to hunters as the season progresses.  In the Gravellies, though, the high percentage indicates an overall lack of secure cover.  Either way, in those areas you probably want to think about hunting early.

• Fleecer- Kind of a sleeper area.  Lesser numbers overall than the more popular elk hunting areas, except for the percentage of six-point bulls killed.  In most areas, hunter numbers and elk harvest are above FWP Elk Plan objectives, but in the Fleecer area both are below.  One statistic I didn't include in the tables, due to lack of space and because it is occasionally misleading, is the number of recreation days per elk harvested.  In the Fleecer area, this is highest of the units mentioned at 55.  Taken together, these three statistics reinforce what I know of the area from a non-mathematical standpoint; it's kind of a tough area to hunt, but trophy potential is pretty good.

• Madison- Second only to the Gravellies in elk and hunter numbers, and fourth in elk harvest, this is a great area.  It ranks at or near the top in bull/cow ratios, calf production, and percent of six-point bulls taken (with more of those bulls  in the 300+ class).  One odd thing is the percentage of branch antlered bulls in the harvest at 49%.  I suspect that number is skewed by the late cow season along the west face of the Madison Range.  Although it's occurring in other parts of the state as well, one bright spot for the Madison herd is changes in land ownership and use patterns on land adjoining the winter range that have reduced or eliminated emphasis on cattle production, and created large de facto game preserves.   While it can be argued that hunting opportunity is reduced to non-existent on those ranches, that has largely been the case for a long time, and besides, the elk summer on public land.  The trick is to catch them before or while they're migrating to winter on private land.

• Pioneer- Once again, except for the Gravellies (which should possibly be in a category by themselves) the Pioneers have the highest elk harvest, exceeding even the Emigrant unit with its late cow hunt.  What's more surprising is that this high harvest comes from a herd numbering only slightly more than half the Emigrant herd.  Like the Gravellies, this is possibly not the best place to look for a giant bull, but if you'd rather shoot an elk than go home empty-handed they're good places to go.

• Tobacco Root- You'll probably want to pass on this one...For reasons that no one seems to agree on, the Tobacco Roots just don't produce.   They've been under a 4-point restriction for mule deer for a number of years, and you'd think they would produce good mulies, but they just don't.  Same with elk, and they pretty much trail the pack in all categories of these statistics.  Not a bad place to put in for a mountain goat tag, though...

• Tendoy- This area has the lowest number of recreation days per elk harvested, with 20.  The thing is, a lot of them are cows, and the bulk are taken the first week.  As previously mentioned, the elk tend to move onto private land as the season goes on.  The percentage of six-point bulls harvested is near the bottom of the pack and so, moving right along...

• Elkhorn- The Elkhorns are a trophy permit area, and as of last year you had about a 1 in 34 chance of drawing.  Otherwise, you're limited to spikes, unless you draw one of the fairly abundant cow tags.  That's why six-point bulls account for such a low percentage of the bulls taken in this district.  If you draw the tag, you might get a real trophy.  Then again, you might not...I know a guy who had an Elkhorn either-sex tag in 2000.  He saw plenty of decent bulls, but was holding out for a real bruiser.  Then, at the end, luck utterly failed him, and he wound up shooting a cow the last week.  Bummer....Ordinarily, though, if you draw an Elkhorn bull tag, you'd better have some taxidermy money budgeted.

• Granite Butte- The name of this unit will probably cause some confusion.  It consists of Hunting Districts 284, 293, 339, and 343, which lie on both sides of the continental divide from Rogers and Flesher passes south to McDonald Pass.  Based solely on the numbers, there's nothing to cause my pulse to race....I do know some good bulls come out of here, though nothing like areas like the Madison Range or Emigrant.  It's a big area, and overall I'd say the elk hunting is nothing exceptional, but in areas like that there's always pockets of superior habitat, usually the thickest, steepest hell-holes you can find.  If you know of a spot like that, don't tell anybody about it, and you may find the overall numbers aren't really applicable to you.  But if you're unfamiliar with Montana elk hunting and looking for somewhere to start, this wouldn't be my choice...

• Bridger- Some good numbers here, including the lowest recreation days per elk harvested ratio (22), except for Emigrant, which I'll explain momentarily.  For that matter, there aren't any unfavorable numbers for the Bridger unit.  One caution, though...while there's a lot of public land in the Bridger Mountains, the surrounding private lands that are also part of the management unit contain the best trophy potential.  Outfitted hunts in the north portion of the unit are producing some superb bulls, although a few people nail wall-hangers on the public land every year also.  Either way, this unit is on the short list.

• Emigrant- Big numbers throughout, and at a glance you'd think "Wow, that's the place".  Well, it can be, but....The problem is it's largely a feast or famine situation.  It's prime winter range for the northern Yellowstone herd, but if weather hasn't pushed them into the area yet, elk can be very few & far between.  When the weather gets tough during the general season, though, or if you draw one of the highly sought-after late season bull tags, you can be in fat city.   I know of a guy who just last week (1/15/01) killed an extraordinary 372 bull up there.  The late cow season is the primary reason for the exceptional 40% success rate, if it were restricted to general season success, especially with the mild conditions we've had the past several falls, that number would be way lower, and possibly toward the bottom of the pack.  If you can be flexible with your hunting plans, and manage to have your Emigrant hunt coincide with or follow a period of nasty weather, you might connect on one of those big Park bulls, with comparatively minimal effort.  Plan on having some competition, though.

• Gallatin- another prime area that also makes the short list.  Things are changing up the Gallatin, though, and we're going to be keeping a close eye on it.  The scary number is the cow/calf ratio; at 18 calves/100 cows, it's the lowest of the units under discussion.  High numbers of lions, wolves, and bears are taking a toll.  Other areas are experiencing this also, but it arguably seems to be having the most rapid impact in this area.  After so many mild winters, when this  past fall started off wintry people were expecting slammer elk hunting up the Gallatin, and for the most part, it didn't materialize.  In fact, hunting wasn't all that great in a lot of formerly outstanding areas. Migration and seasonal use patterns appear to be changing, and what worked in the past might not anymore.  The jury is still out, and one season doesn't constitute a trend, but the situation bears watching (no pun intended).

• Highland- this area south of Butte is a popular hunting destination, with nearly as many recreation days as the Gallatin, which supports over three times the elk population.  Considering that, the numbers hold up pretty well, though, except success rate which is struggling at the rear of the pack.  Recreation days per elk harvested are right up there with the Fleecer unit, at 54.  Overall, the numbers are typical of a fairly heavily hunted, relatively accessible area.  If you have a hotspot, or live close by; great, but if you're looking for someplace new to hunt, I'd probably pass on this one...

• Deer Lodge- the bright spot here is the cow/calf ratio, which comes in highest at 40/100.  Otherwise the numbers are proportionally similar to the Highlands, although the success rate is better at 15.1%.  Still, that's not enough to make me want to pack up and move my elk hunting to Deer Lodge.  I'm sure you could find local residents who would disagree, and more power to 'em.

Just for comparison purposes, here's some numbers from other units around the state.  I've left out quite a number of units, simply because the elk numbers are quite low, and/or hunting opportunities are limited due to lack of access.  Again, these numbers support the conclusions drawn in our Elk Hunting Review article, but study 'em and come to your own conclusions.  Note; population and harvest numbers are generally not as up-to-date as the preceding tables, although they're representative and I don't expect any major changes for this past season.

So, plug these figures into your elk hunting plans.  If you've already got a favorite area, they may confirm what you already know, and if you're looking for somewhere to hunt, I'm certain you'll find them valuable.  Remember, though, elk hunting is not an exact science, and you can't put absolute faith in numbers.  Trophy bulls are like gold, they're where you find 'em, but if you do your homework your odds of hitting the jackpot are greatly increased.  Then, you just need a little luck, and that's one factor we can't supply numbers for.  We're hoping you get your share, though....